They include 14 days’ self-isolation for anyone entering the UK, bar a short list of exemptions.

As the transmission rate in the UK falls, and the number of travellers arriving in the UK begins to increase in the coming months, imported cases may pose a larger threat as they could become a higher proportion of the overall number of infections in the UK and increase the spread of the disease.

We need to take action to manage the risk of transmission from this group.

The measures outlined by the Home Secretary include:

Contact locator form

All arriving passengers will be required to fill this in to provide contact and travel information so they can be contacted if they, or someone they may have been in contact with develops the disease.

Self isolation

Passengers arriving in the UK will be required to self-isolate for 14 days and could be contacted regularly throughout this period to ensure compliance.

Enforcement

Anyone failing to comply with the mandatory conditions may face enforcement action. A breach of self-isolation would be punishable with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice in England or potential prosecution and unlimited fine. The level of fine could increase if the risk of infection from abroad increases. The Devolved Administrations will set out their own enforcement approaches.

Spot checks

Border Force will undertake checks at the border and may refuse entry to any non-British citizen who refuses to comply with these regulations and isn’t resident in the UK. Failure to complete the form is also punishable by a £100 fixed penalty notice. Public health authorities will conduct random checks in England to ensure compliance with self-isolation requirements. Removal from the country would be considered as a last resort for foreign nationals who refuse to comply with these public health measures.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

As the world begins to emerge from what we hope is the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, we must look to the future and protect the British public by reducing the risk of cases crossing our border.

We are introducing these new measures now to keep the transmission rate down and prevent a devastating second wave.

I fully expect the majority of people will do the right thing and abide by these measures. But we will take enforcement action against the minority of people who endanger the safety of others.

Professor John Aston, Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser said:

The scientific advice so far has been clear: while there has been significant community transmission of the virus within the UK the impact of putting in place additional border restrictions would have been negligible to the spread of the virus.

However, the spread of the virus within the UK is now lessening. We have been successful in getting the reproduction number R – the average number of new people infected by one infected person – below 1.

As the number of infections within the UK drops, we must now manage the risk of transmissions being reintroduced from elsewhere.

The arrangements are due to come into effect on 8 June.

Information will be available to incoming travellers, including on the government’s social distancing guidelines, through messaging and announcements in-flight and leaflets and posters on arrival. Materials will be available in English and 9 other languages.

The new regime will be in place across the United Kingdom, although enforcement measures will be set individually by the Devolved Administrations.

Through the new online locator contact form all arriving passengers will need to provide details of their self-isolation accommodation. If this does not meet the necessary requirements – such as hotels, or with friends or family – they will be required to self-isolate in facilities arranged by the government.

People should use personal transport, such as a car, to travel to their accommodation where possible. Once they arrive there, they should not leave their accommodation for 14 days.

This means that they should not go to work, school, or public areas, or use public transport or taxis. They should not have visitors, including friends and family, unless they are providing essential support.

They should not go out to buy food or other essentials where they can rely on others.

Those entering the UK will also be encouraged to download the NHS Covid-19 app at the border and use it for the duration of their stay in the UK.

Once self-isolation is complete people should follow the current government guidelines on social distancing measures.

There will be limited exemptions and a full list will be published on gov.uk. They include:

• road haulage and freight workers, to ensure the supply of goods is not impacted
• medical professionals who are travelling to help with the fight against coronavirus
• anyone moving from within the Common Travel Area, covering Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
• Seasonal Agricultural Workers who will self-isolate on the property where they are working

The Home Office has been working closely with industry partners ahead of announcing these changes. They will be subject to review every three weeks, to ensure they are in line with the latest scientific evidence and remain effective and necessary.

The government will continue to look at further options as we move forward and these will include air bridges – agreements between countries who both have low transmission rates to recognise each other’s departure screening measures for passengers and removing the need for quarantine measures for incoming passengers.

• Local authorities to work with government to support test and trace services in their local communities
• £300 million will be provided to all local authorities in England to develop and action their plans to reduce the spread of the virus in their area
• Work will build on the continued efforts of communities across the country to respond to the pandemic locally

Local authorities will be central to supporting the new test and trace service across England, with the government providing a new funding package of £300 million.

Each local authority will be given funding to develop tailored outbreak control plans, working with local NHS and other stakeholders.

Work on the plans will start immediately. Their plans will focus on identifying and containing potential outbreaks in places such as workplaces, housing complexes, care homes and schools.

As part of this work, local authorities will also need to ensure testing capacity is deployed effectively to high-risk locations. Local authorities will work closely with the test and trace service, local NHS and other partners to achieve this.

Data on the virus’s spread will be shared with local authorities through the Joint Biosecurity Centre to inform local outbreak planning, so teams understand how the virus is moving, working with national government where necessary to access the testing and tracing capabilities of the new service.

Local communities, organisations and individuals will also be encouraged to follow government guidance and assist those self-isolating in their area who need help. This will include encouraging neighbours to offer support and identifying and working with relevant community groups.

Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, Nadine Dorries, said:

Local authorities will be vital in the effort to contain COVID-19 at a community level. The pandemic requires a national effort but that will only be effective as a result of local authorities, working hand in hand with Public Health England and contact tracers to focus on the containment of local outbreaks, in order to control the transmission and the spread of the virus.

For contact tracing to be effective when it is rolled out, we will need people to continue to follow guidelines and stay at home if they have symptoms.

Work will be led by local authority leaders and local directors of public health in charge of planning, and will build on their work to date to respond to coronavirus locally. They will operate in close partnership with local hospitals, GP practices, businesses, religious groups, schools and charities.

These new plans will build on the comprehensive work already being done by local authorities and directors of public health to respond to coronavirus locally.

Local efforts will support the national rollout of the test and trace service, in which everyone will need to play their part to stop the spread of coronavirus.

National Test and Trace Adviser and Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, Tom Riordan, said:

It is essential that communities and local authorities are at the heart of our plans to roll out test and trace. Their work to respond to the virus has been exemplary, demonstrating how people across the country have come together to respond to the virus.

As we move forward with our plans to trace every case of the virus, and contact those at risk, we will need to continue to work together and tailor support at a local level. This joint endeavour between local government, the NHS and local partners will help those in self-isolation, and reduce the risk of widespread outbreaks in our schools, businesses, hospitals and communities.

A new National Local Government Advisory Board will be established to work with the test and trace service. This will include sharing best practice between communities across the country.

Work to share lessons learned will be led by a group of 11 local authorities from the breadth of the UK, representing rural and urban areas, who have volunteered to help localise planning.

• The Department of Health and Social Care will allocate funding to local authorities in England, working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the allocation formula. The funding is ring-fenced for this specific purpose. £300 million will immediately be allocated to local authorities in England.
• This would mean an additional £57 million provided via the Barnett formula for the 3 devolved administrations (£29 million for the Scottish Government, £18 million for the Welsh Government and £10 million for the Northern Ireland Executive)
• The 11 local authorities that will initially share best practice with others are:
  • Tameside – as the lead authority for Greater Manchester Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Warwickshire – Coventry and Solihull connecting to West Midlands Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Leeds – as the lead authority for the Leeds City Region
  • London – Camden lead in collaboration with Hackney, Barnet and Newham
  • Devon – with Cornwall
  • Newcastle – with Northumberland and North Tyneside as lead authority for North of Tyne Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Middlesbrough – with Redcar and Cleveland as lead authority for Tees Valley Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Surrey
  • Norfolk – with Norwich and districts Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk and South Norfolk
  • Leicestershire – and Leicester with Rutland
  • Cheshire West and Chester – with councils within Cheshire local resilience forum